beeden96

[beeden96]

Surah Ash-Shura (Consultation), Ayat 36 through 39

From the translation by Muhammad Asad. To me these verses indicate that consensus-based decision making around issues affecting the community is actually a Quranic injunction. That the call to mutual consultation is accompanied by a call to defend against tyranny, suggests to me that direct democracy is being laid out as the norm for self-governance among Muslims.

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42:36 And remember that whatever you are given now is but for the passing enjoyment of life in this world - whereas that which is with God is far better and more enduring. It shall be given to all who attain to faith and in their Sustainer place their trust; 42:37 And who shun the more heinous sins and abominations; and who, whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive; 42:38 and who respond to the call of their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule in all matters of common concern is consultation among themselves; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; 42:39 and who, whenever tyranny afflicts them, defend themselves.

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Women in Rojava/The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, greeting women in the YPJ (Women's Defense Units)

[beeden96]

Surah Ghafir (The All-Forgiving), Ayah 57

40:57 Greater indeed than the creation of humanity is the creation of the heavens and the earth: yet most people do not understand.

Snowdonia Dark Sky Reserve from iStock

[beeden96]

I wish I was a muppet so I could flail uncontrollably with no consequences. And for the scrunch

[beeden96]

Celebration of Diversity in Surah Fatir

From the translation by Muhammad Asad, lightly edited by myself in line with the meaning of the original Arabic text (to avoid a patriarchal reading). I've taken out brackets [ ] from the Asad translation so that it's clear where I myself have changed something.

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35:27 Art thou not aware that God sends down water from the skies, whereby We bring forth fruits of many hues - just as in the mountains there are streaks of white and red of various shades, as well as others raven-black, 35:28 and as there are in [humans], and in crawling beasts, and in cattle, too, many hues? Of all [God's] servants, only such as are endowed with innate knowledge stand truly in awe of God: for they alone comprehend that, verily, God is almighty, much-forgiving.

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA:

Badland Colors by Steven Bateson

Vinicunca, Pitumarca district, Peru:

Peru, province of Cuzco, Vinicunca, Montana de Siete Colores or Rainbow Mountain, lama for tourist by Tuul and Bruno Morandi

Zhangye, Gansu province, China:

Linze, Zhangye, Gansu, China by Han Lei

[beeden96]

Fraggle Rock Wuthering Heights AMV

no cringe we post amvs for thirty year old kids shows and die like men.

music by kate bush and clips taken from fraggle rock!

[beeden96]

Some ayahs about truth that comfort me

All translations from The Message Of The Qur'an by Muhammad Asad, sometimes slightly modified by me to remove patriarchal language or add clarification (based on Asad's footnotes and cross-reference with other translations and tafsir). To clarify where I have changed things, brackets [ ] are taken out of the original text and are only present where I have made an alteration.

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3:178 And they should not think - they who are bent on denying the truth - that Our giving them rein is good for them: We give them rein only to let them grow in sinfulness; and shameful suffering awaits them.

This ayah comforts me because it allows me to relax and reassure myself in the face of general dishonest conduct, and it also allows me to relax and reassure myself in the face of terrible injustices. Based on this verse, I understand that the oppressive actions of tyrannical leaders are not something that will go unanswered for. It also helps resolve the "problem of evil" in a unique way. Here, "the truth" refers to truth in a general sense but also to the truth of existence in a morally ordered universe with a singular Source/Sustainer.

4:135 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God's claim takes precedence over the claims of either of them. Do not, then, follow your own desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort the truth, behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!

Here I am reassured that it's okay to correct injustice and falsehood when I encounter it. I am encouraged not to lie for the sake of my own or others' comfort. It is up to me to discern the truth to the extent I am able, and to stand by what I believe or know is true. I have no need to fear authenticity, rather I should embrace it.

13:17 Whenever [God] sends down water from the sky, and once-dry river-beds are running high according to their measure, the stream carries scum on its surface; and, likewise, from that metal which they smelt in the fire in order to make ornaments or utensils, there rises scum. In this way does God set forth the parable of truth and falsehood: for, as far as the scum is concerned, it passes away as does all dross; but that which is of benefit to [humanity] abides on earth. In this way does God set forth the parables.

What I love about this ayah is how evocative the imagery is and how it explains itself. Here I am reassured that falsehood is bound to pass away, whereas truth will remain and always be revealed in the end. The metaphors are a little bit difficult to understand but what I gather is that they're both referring to a process that is positive overall, but which is guaranteed to produce some undesirable side-effects as part of the natural course of things. To me this indicates that when new kinds of truths are uncovered or revealed, they will inevitably coexist with (and even produce) some novel falsehoods until the total reality has time to uncover itself. The coming of new water and the creation of new tools and ornaments is a positive thing, but it won't be without complication and difficulty. We just have to endure with patience and trust that everything will work itself out.

20:114 Know, then, that God is sublimely exalted, the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth: and knowing this, do not approach the Qur'an in haste, before it has been revealed unto thee in full, but always say: "O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!"

This ayah is comforting because it reminds me to take it slow when it comes to uncovering the truth about anything, especially spiritual matters. Without all of the necessary context, it is not possible to reach a sound conclusion about a given matter. If I am not sure what is true and what is false, I need to be cautious and take a step back. This also takes pressure off of me, because I am reminded that taking things at my own pace is okay. I should avoid reaching hasty conclusions and making bold claims that could turn out to be false.

[beeden96]

My (current) favorite ayahs from Surah Al-Imran

These are all taken from The Message of The Quran by Muhammad Asad and may be slightly edited by myself to avoid restricting God to a patriarchal image, or for minor clarification. Anything in [ ] was added or changed by me, meaning I have removed such brackets in the original text so that it's more clear where I'm inserting my own language based on cross-reference with other translations and Asad's own footnotes.

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3:64 Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside [God], and that we shall not take human beings for our [sustainers or authorities] beside God." And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto [God]."

3:83 Do they seek, perchance, a faith other than in God, although it is unto [God] that whatever is in the heavens and on earth surrenders itself, willingly or unwillingly, since unto [God] all must return?

3:108 These are God's messages: We convey them unto thee, setting forth the truth, since God wills no wrong to [Hir] creation. 3:109 And unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and all things go back to God as their source.

3:117 The parable of what they spend on the life of this world is that of an icy wind which smites the tilth of people who have sinned against themselves, and destroys it: for, it is not God who does them wrong, but it is they who are wronging themselves.

3:128 And it is in no wise for thee, O Prophet, to decide whether [God] shall accept their repentance or chastise them - for, behold, they are but wrongdoers, 3:129 whereas unto God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth: [God] forgives whom [God] wills, and [God] chastises whom [God] wills; and God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

3:133 And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious 3:134 who spend in [Hir] way in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and pardon [other people], because God loves the doers of good.

3:190 Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the succession of night and day, there are indeed messages for all who are endowed with insight, 3:191 and who remember God when they stand, and when they sit, and when they lie down to sleep, and thus reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: "O our Sustainer! Thou hast not created aught of this without meaning and purpose. Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Keep us safe, then, from suffering through fire!”

[beeden96]

My (current) favorite ayahs from Surah Al-Baqarah

These are all taken from The Message of The Quran by Muhammad Asad and may be slightly edited by myself to avoid restricting God to a patriarchal image, or for minor clarification. Anything in [ ] was added or changed by me, meaning I have removed such brackets in the original text so that it's more clear where I'm inserting my own language based on cross-reference with other translations and Asad's own footnotes.

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2:30 AND LO! Thy Sustainer said unto the angels: "Behold, I am about to establish upon earth one who shall inherit it [as a trustee/vicegerent]." They said: "Wilt Thou place on it such as will spread corruption thereon and shed blood – whereas it is we who extol Thy limitless glory, and praise Thee, and hallow Thy name?" [God] answered: "Verily, I know that which you do not know."

2:94 Say: "If an afterlife with God is to be for you alone, to the exclusion of all other people[s], then you should long for death - if what you say is true!"

2:111 AND THEY claim, "None shall ever enter paradise unless [they] be a Jew" - or, "a Christian". Such are their wishful beliefs! Say: "Produce an evidence for what you are claiming, if what you say is true!" 2:112 Yea, indeed: everyone who surrenders [their] whole being unto God, and is a doer of good withal, shall have [their] reward with [their] Sustainer; and all such need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve.

2:148 for, every community faces a direction of its own, of which [God] is the focal point. Vie, therefore, with one another in doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto [Hirself]: for, verily, God has the power to will anything.

2:154 And say not of those who are slain in God's cause, "They are dead": nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not. 2:155 And most certainly shall We try you by means of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of lives and of labour's fruits. But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity - 2:156 who, when calamity befalls them, say, "Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto [God] we shall return."

2:177 True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west – but truly pious [are they] who believe[] in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and [spend their] substance - however much [they] may cherish it - upon [their] near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and [are] constant in prayer, and render[] the purifying dues; and truly pious are they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God.

2:255 GOD - there is no deity save [God], the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being. Neither slumber overtakes [God], nor sleep. [Hirs] is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with [God], unless it be by [Hir] leave? [God] knows all that lies open before [humans] and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to aught of [Hir] knowledge save that which [God] wills [them to attain]. [Hir] eternal power overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies [Hir] not. And [God] alone is truly exalted, tremendous. 2:256 THERE SHALL BE no coercion in matters of faith. Distinct has now become the right way from the way of error: hence, [one] who rejects the powers of evil and believes in God has indeed taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way: for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.

2:258 ART THOU NOT aware of that king who argued with Abraham about his Sustainer, simply because God had granted him kingship? Lo! Abraham said: "My Sustainer is [God,] who grants life and deals death." The king replied: "I too grant life and deal death!" Said Abraham: "Verily, God causes the sun to rise in the east; cause it, then, to rise in the west!" Thereupon he who was bent on denying the truth remained dumbfounded: for God does not guide people who deliberately do wrong.

2:264 O you who have attained to faith! Do not deprive your charitable deeds of all worth by stressing your own benevolence and hurting the feelings of the needy, as does [one] who spends [their] wealth only to be seen and praised by [other humans], and believes not in God and the Last Day: for [their] parable is that of a smooth rock with a little earth upon it - and then a rainstorm smites it and leaves it hard and bare. Such as these shall have no gain whatever from all their good works: for God does not guide people who refuse to acknowledge the truth. 2:265 And the parable of those who spend their possessions out of a longing to please God, and out of their own inner certainty, is that of a garden on high, fertile ground: a rainstorm smites it, and thereupon it brings forth its fruit twofold; and if no rainstorm smites it, soft rain falls upon it. And God sees all that you do.

2:267 O you who have attained to faith! Spend on others out of the good things which you may have acquired, and out of that which We bring forth for you from the earth; and choose not for your spending the bad things which you yourselves would not accept without averting your eyes in disdain. And know that God is self-sufficient, ever to be praised. 2:268 Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and bids you to be [stingy], whereas God promises you [Hir] forgiveness and bounty; and God is infinite, all-knowing.

2:272 It is not for thee, O Prophet, to make people follow the right path, since it is God alone who guides whom [God] wills. And whatever good you may spend on others is for your own good, provided that you spend only out of a longing for God's countenance: for, whatever good you may spend will be repaid unto you in full, and you shall not be wronged.

2:276 God deprives usurious gains of all blessing, whereas [God] blesses charitable deeds with manifold increase. And God does not love anyone who is stubbornly ingrate and persists in sinful ways.

[beeden96]

A thought inspired by Ibn Arabi (who was inspired by the Quran)

Since there is nothing other than God, and there is no distinction between self and other:

When I am kind to others, I am being kind to myself. When I hurt others, I am hurting myself. It works the other way too. When I am kind to myself, I am being kind to others. When I hurt myself, I am hurting others.

This is so simple, and such a repeated moral refrain, to the point that it sounds like a metaphor. But I mean this very literally and concretely. It's not a "what goes around comes around" type of situation, the effects of any action are direct and immediate. And the principle is applicable to any action or attitude I could possibly have.

If I lie to someone I'm lying to myself. If I smile at someone I'm smiling at myself. If I brush my teeth I'm brushing everyone's teeth (this example is a little more abstract and yet equally literal). I think the important thing following from this insight is choosing to act with love (which is expressed in truth, respect, care, justice, kindness, etc.) in all the small moments of daily life.

Now I just have to try my best to act in accordance with this reality. No easy feat, but worthwhile.

[beeden96]

God in all things, all things in God

I am a human. My body and identity are whole, a united being. When I talk about myself I am referring to the sum of my parts, which are greater than themselves.

But I am composed of smaller living beings. Inside me there are bacteria, and fungi. There are mites living on my face. My body is composed of individual cells. My organs carry out unique roles in my bodily ecosystem. My heart is alive. My stomach is alive. My brain is alive.

God, the Dao, the Universe, are whole the way I am whole. They are also composed of smaller parts. Everything exists in a fractal relationship to itself.

So to me there is little distinction between monotheism and polytheism. It's just what aspect of existence you are choosing to emphasize in a moment. Universal truth can be accessed in the worship of the spirit of a single river, and appreciation for the spirits of all things can be accessed in the worship of God as a single entity.

If God and the Universe are the same, and they exist as a single body, then worshipping the heart (or a lesser deity) is simply a focused appreciation of the whole. We would not understand or appreciate the meaning of a heart, if it did not exist in a broader context. What is the function of a heart, if not to pump blood to other places throughout the whole body? And what is the function of lungs, if not to provide oxygen for the blood pumped by the heart? Meaning arises and is defined through relationships.

Am I God to my cells? Do they worship me as the sum of their creation and existence? Do they know that I am in them, as much as they are in me?

And do I worship God or the Dao as the sum of my creation and existence with a community of others? Do I know that God is in me, as much as I am in God?

[beeden96]

A sheep in shepherd's clothing.

This phrase came to me a few minutes ago. Journaling about how at different points in the past I have adopted a posture of "knowing" and "teaching" things to others, as though I am not at the same maturity level and on the same journey as they are.

[beeden96]

Gumption is one of my favorite words

[beeden96]

"Mindfulness" for mental health?

One of my hot takes is that "mindfulness" as a practice to reduce anxiety is not effective when divorced from its origins in Buddhist philosophy and cosmology.

In my personal experience, it is not possible to reduce anxiety through mindfulness unless the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path and Five Precepts, etc. are understood and internalized. Because without understanding attachment, clinging, the five aggregates, dependent origination, etc. there's no sufficient basis for a "mindfulness" practice to be effective and lead to insight.

I feel like the main thing Western "mindfulness" emphasizes is stillness or clearing the mind. But there is very rarely any explanation about attachment and its origins. By trying to "secularize" and "popularize" (and really, commodify) what are fundamentally Buddhist practices, the substance and efficacy of those practices is lost.

At best, all that these reduced forms of mindfulness can offer is a temporary feeling of calm. At worst, they can be used by corporations and other bad actors to try and pacify workers, and further the alienation of people from important emotions and feelings.

Because of the watered-down (and quite frankly annoying) way that "mindfulness" is presented in the West, it has taken me until very recently to understand what meditation and mindfulness actually mean, and what the point is. The point is not just to empty your mind. That is only the means to the end, which is generating insight into the fundamental nature of reality, practicing concentration, letting go of attachment, etc.

And "meditation" doesn't only refer to sitting completely still and focusing on the breath. That's just one form of meditation, among others which include but are not limited to chanting mantras, creating mandalas, moving mala beads, doing physical and breath exercises, etc.

Different traditions of Buddhism tend to emphasize different forms of meditation, with Zen emphasizing what we're most familiar with in the West (sitting still and breathing, emptying the mind) and Vajrayana traditions emphasizing the use of mantras and mandalas and other yogic practices. Buddhism isn't one uniform thing, there are many different strands and practices in many different parts of the world.

I hope that as more people are exposed to the idea of mindfulness, particularly as a strategy for managing mental health conditions, that they will look to the roots of the practice and find the larger context.

[beeden96]

Lessons for contentment in life and relationships, which I have been internalizing recently (drawing heavily from Daoist and Buddhist wisdom traditions)

Time is always shifting. The only moment that ever exists is the present, which resides in memory once it has moved away. We are all time-travelers, exploring the future and past as they come to life in every second.

Everything is impermanent. Everything is transient. Everything is always changing.

Acceptance of impermanence is the first step to releasing attachment and craving. Impermanence is difficult to accept and I have to re-accept this reality in every moment, as things continue to change. Time continues to move and every present moment is different than the last.

Attachment and craving (resulting from lack of insight/acceptance of the ephemeral nature of reality) are the root of anxiety and most forms of psychological distress I experience. They are the source of my desire for control. They are the reason I do not want to change and let go.

Releasing attachment does not mean alienating myself from my feelings and emotions. It does not mean avoiding emotions. It means accepting feelings and emotions as they are, without judgement, and with awareness that they are impermanent. Riding the waves, without clinging to them.

In relationships of all kinds, myself and the other person should choose each other freely. We should be together because we both want to, and we both continue to value each other's presence. If someone does not want to be in a relationship with me, or I don't want to be in a relationship with them, that is okay. There must be room for freedom and change. It is only healthy and fulfilling to be with someone who truly wants to be with me, as I am. And it is only healthy and fulfilling for someone to be with me if I truly want to be with them, as they are.

In relationships of all kinds, for the dynamic to be healthy and loving, I must accept the other person as they are in each moment, without judgement. I can support and encourage them on their own journey in life, but I cannot control them, and I should not try to have that kind of influence. Attempting to exercise power over others in the spirit of "helping them grow" is not helpful, it is very damaging to both people involved. To feel supported and loved, others need to experience my faith in their ability to be the authors of their own lives.

It is spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically dangerous to have sex with someone when genuine love and friendship are not present. Sex is an extension of the partnership, and should be an expression of deep care and commitment to the wellbeing of the other person. It is vulnerable and sacred. Having sex with someone to satisfy craving, to acquire validation, or from any place of insecurity, is not safe. When in a partnership, I should always be mindful of my motivations. I should not initiate or consent to sex unless I am already feeling secure and loved, and the other person feels that way too. If one or both of us are not feeling secure and loved, the cause of that needs to be resolved first. Additionally, sex should not be used as a replacement or stand-in for other forms of intimacy, vulnerability, and trust. It can and should be a natural outgrowth of the relationship, not a tool used to create artificial depth when the relationship is weak in a given moment. Cultivating a profound friendship will provide a solid foundation for everything else.

Attachment and craving go hand in hand with objectification. Instead of understanding another person as an ongoing process, craving necessitates thinking of them as an object to cling to, even if you are aware of their consciousness. It is very hard to be attached to a process, because it is always changing. But that is the reality of what everyone and everything is. Respecting that ongoing flow means that relationships are reinvented and reborn in every new moment of interaction. Therefore, letting go of attachment and craving also allows you to avoid stagnation and boredom. Everyone you know, as well as yourself, is changing and unfolding in every moment. Stay curious!

If anything in my life that I am holding onto is not compatible with my evolving self, and is restricting me from growth, then it is not for me anymore. I can let it go, to allow for new experiences and journeys to take place.

Knowing who I am, and maintaining awareness of myself in every present moment, I am free from the effects of others' perceptions of me. They can put me in boxes in their minds and speech, but I have nothing to prove. I just am. Who others think I am, does not change or reduce my self-knowledge. I do not defer to others on the subject of my existence. I also remain open to change, and am curious about who I will become as I am reborn in each moment.

Everything is connected and everything is sacred. All living and nonliving beings are reflections of myself, each other, and of the wider universe. We all form a web, and depend on each other. We are also always changing, and spinning new strands of connection while disintegrating others.

Trust in my belonging to this cosmic web, allows me to let go. Trust in my belonging to this cosmic web allows me to accept change, and release attachment. Trust in my belonging to this cosmic web allows me to have faith that I will be okay, and encourages me to remain flexible. I have trust that I am supported, and that I am never alone.

[beeden96]

when gerard way sings "the broken, the beaten, and the damned" and when kermit the frog sings "the lovers, the dreamers, and me" they're talking about the same people btw

[beeden96]

Coraline as a Buddhist parable

Last night while I was writing down the Four Noble Truths with a brush pen in my sketchbook (I do stuff like that sometimes), my roommate put on the movie Coraline. This was entirely coincidental but I was struck by how much the themes of the movie relate to everything I've been learning recently about the core teachings of Buddhism.

There is a concept in Buddhism called "right view." It is the first practice in the Eightfold Path. I think of this as referring to a person's understanding and perception of reality. When a person does not see the true nature of reality, they are vulnerable to illusions and delusions, which cause cravings and excessive attachments.

The Other Mother in Coraline has buttons for eyes, and she sews buttons into the eyes of other people who she lures into her illusory reality. She literally lacks "right view," and she tries to force other people to share her distorted view. She craves, and clings, and she wants other people to cling to her, so she offers them the things they crave. She controls others because she is so attached to them.

The moment when all of this hit me was at the end of the movie, when the Other Mother screams, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me! I'll die without you!"

The reason it hit me is because I suddenly saw myself in her. I think a lot of people live like this without realizing it. I am one of those people, or at least I have been. This "I'll die without you!" sentiment can be applied to any kind of addiction. The "You" could be food, it could be alcohol, it could be sex, it could be attention from others, etc. The sentiment behind the Other Mother's words can be related to any pattern of compulsive thought or behavior. But in this movie, and in my own life, that theme most often plays out in relationships with other people. Codependence is a key word to describe the pattern, at least the way I understand it.

I'm trying to develop the inner strength and acceptance of reality, to move beyond that way of existing. It is really painful to live like that. And I found myself feeling sad for the Other Mother, who is trapped in a world (resulting at least in part from her lack of "right view") where she never has enough, is never satisfied, and is never happy. Things change, and everything is impermanent, so clinging and controlling is only ever going to end in heartbreak.

There is a concept in Buddhism of the hungry ghost. They are ghosts who are stuck in a state of constant craving and dissatisfaction, and they can be extremely destructive as a result. I think that the Other Mother is a perfect, almost textbook example of a hungry ghost. I mean, she would literally consume children because she was craving their love so much.

The word "love" here is interesting to me. The cat in Coraline says that the Other Mother loves Coraline and wants to be loved in return. But the word love in this context indicates an unhealthy, all-consuming obsession, rather than mutual respect and care. A really helpful and succinct explanation is actually right in the book (which the movie is based on). Neil Gaiman writes: "It was true. The other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold."

Now, turning my attention to Coraline herself: I see this movie as a story about how Coraline developed "right view" after undergoing a process of reckoning with her previous approach to life. She was unable to accept reality as it was. She was unhappy, and craved a different life with different parents and different friends and different material possessions. She wanted more. And in this way, she was very like the Other Mother.

As a storytelling device, the Other Mother is useful. Characters are useful for illustrating dynamics of growth and change over the course of a narrative. But I think that ultimately, the Other Mother was inside of Coraline, and a part of her. Just as she had been a part of all the other people living in that house who were dissatisfied with their lives. She is a symbol of the attachments and cravings that all people have, taken to their extreme but logical conclusion.

In the first part of the movie, Coraline resists change. She has just moved to a new place, and she has not accepted her new reality. She has trouble connecting with the people around her, who are either overworked and exhausted (her parents), or who she barely knows at all. Because her material and social conditions are not acceptable to her, and she does not yet have "right view," she develops cravings. She lives out those cravings in the fantasy world inhabited by the Other Mother.

Sometime in the early to middle part of the movie, Coraline goes to a shop with her Mom and asks for some colorful knitted gloves. She wants them because nobody else will have them and she thinks they look pretty and interesting. Her Mom says no. This makes Coraline angry, and causes her to go even deeper into the world inhabited by the Other Mother, because that is a world in which she believes her desires can be fulfilled.

Over time, she begins to understand that the Other Mother (this dissatisfied aspect of herself) is not a good person to hang around, and that her perspective on life is warped. She begins to see the dangers of living in delusion, and clinging to sense pleasures. She becomes a firsthand witness to the instability and violence this way of living can create.

So she lets go. She lets go of her expectations, she lets go of her cravings, and instead she decides to honor her love for her parents, which is based in mutual care, rather than obsession and excessive catering to desires. It is only once she lets go of any attachment to an outcome, that she begins to receive the things she originally wanted. Love, care, attention, and even some nice physical items. Her Mom gives her the gloves she wanted as a surprise gift. But now, she is wise enough to appreciate these things for what they are. She can be happy and present in the moment, appreciating the little things while they last.

[beeden96]

Astrological observations about Taylor Swift and her fans

The two people in my life who are the most obsessed with Taylor Swift, have Moon conjunct Uranus in their birth charts. So I started wondering: is there something in Taylor's birth chart going on with Uranus and the Moon?

I just looked, and yes there is! She has Moon in Cancer opposite Uranus in Capricorn. If I had to guess, I would say the aspect is probably exact (her birth time isn't known but I am assuming she was born at 10:30 am, given my hunch about her Moon opposite Uranus, placing them in her 5th and 11th houses!)

Anyway- it appears that what Taylor does in her music is some kind of dynamic synthesis of Moon/Jupiter (which are conjunct in Cancer in the 5th in her chart) and Mercury/Uranus energies (those are conjunct in Capricorn, opposite Moon/Jupiter, in Capricorn in the 11th house). The two pairs of oppositions are Moon-Uranus and Jupiter-Mercury.

Another interesting thing, if I have her birth time correct, is that her Venus (Aquarius 12th house) is exactly sextile her Midheaven.

Right now, Pluto is ingressing into Aquarius, making a sextile to her Midheaven and a conjunction to her Venus. This coincides with her Eras tour, and I would say perhaps the height of her fame overall. This may be the peak of things.

I would think, given that Pluto is going to transit over her Ascendant and enter her 1st house to conjunct her North Node in the coming few decades, that she is about to transform as a person in a significant way.

I had a suspicion that Pluto entering Aquarius had something to do with her breakup with Joe Alwyn, but it isn't until now that I really see why. It's because her Venus is right there! Joe Alwyn's Saturn was/is at 1 Aquarius also, conjunct Taylor's Venus, so this commitment is part of what's getting shaken up by the Pluto transit.

This also definitely relates to her dating Matty Healy, who is highly Aquarian and Plutonian in some very controversial ways. I haven't looked at his birth chart, actually, but that is what I would expect to see from him.

.... Okay I looked, and yeah. He has Moon (conjunct Ascendant) opposite Pluto, and sesquiquadrate Uranus!! Assuming that his reported birth time of 7:30 am is correct, he also has Uranus in his 8th house quincunxing Jupiter in Gemini in the 1st, which would amplify/expand the Uranian/Aquarian components of his persona, especially since Gemini is an air sign as well.

So I would say this relationship with him is part of working through the Pluto transit to her Venus, and probably won't last after Pluto is beyond 2-ish degrees of Aquarius for good.

Anyway that's all, but I was just thinking about the connection that the Moon-Uranus people I know feel when it comes to her music, and as someone with Moon sextile Uranus myself, I can relate to an extent.